What Will Students Do to Keep JTIII?

[voltahoya]

OK, I am just a young alum. I have written letters, emails and made sure that it is clear my money is where my mouth is with respect to the importance of keeping JTIII.

My ability to pressure the school to keep JTIII is pretty limited after that--but I am open to suggestions.

What I want to know is what are the students going to do THIS WEEK--now that they are back from Easter break--to send a signal to the administration that they must get JTIII signed to a long term contract extension.

I am talking banners in red square, fliers on every bulletin board, a rally in Healy circle with press coverage, more editorials in the Hoya and Voice, anything and everything. And any student who has an opportunity to speak with DeGioia or Muir must bring this up. DeGioia should not be able to have a conversation on Georgetown's campus without hearing how concerned people are about losing JTIII.

Do not wait until we lose JTIII and then march on Healy--then it will be too late. Make your voices heard now for all Hoya fans.

HOYA BLUE WHERE ARE YOU?

Hoya Saxa

[HoyaSinceBirth]

I'm only speaking for myself. But I really don't think it's necessary to do anything at this juncture. Team got back on Sunday. Earliest talks started Monday. Then school closed on Wednesday. The schools been on vacation since then. Yes it's possible they kept on working on this thursday and friday as well, but then it was easter weekend so I'm sure they weren't working on it then. It's been 5 days top. That also is ignoring the fact that both Degoia and III are busy men. If We still haven't had an anouncement by the weekend then i'll be worried and start doing something. But at this point I'm goign to assume they're just hamering out details right now.

Obviously though if Hoya Blue or some other group did start something I would pitch in to help out. But I just don't think it's necessary right now.

[voltahoya]

I am dissapointed in our students. Are they oblivious to the stakes this month? Do they think that Georgetown's administration can't screw this up? Do they think that just because the Kentucky and Michigan jobs are gone that there is no way we can lose JTIII? Do they think the NIT is fun? Do they think we would even make the NIT under III's successor?

The lack of any apparant student movement to pressure DeGioia to keep JTIII is baffling. You guys camped out for tickets but you won't camp out for the coach? You made it to one final four, do you want it to be the last one of your lifetime? If JTIII leaves this summer or even after next season I do not want a single student to come on this board and complain about the administration's failure to keep him. Students have a power to pressure the administration in a way no group of alumni can and they are blowing it.

I remind you that when III is gone it will be too late to protest and we will never be able to recapture this magical moment in Georgetown History. III is ONE OF A KIND. The synergy between him and Georgetown and our history and our students will never be recreated and we must do everything possible to make sure III is our head coach for the next 10-20 years.

I am begging any student out there to let me know what they have done to keep JTIII since the end of the season. I am emploring the Hoya Blue leadership to account for itself. Why have you been silent?

The problem with people who think like HoyaSinceBirth is that --while they may be right and this may be coming together smoothly behind the scenes-- THEY MAY BE WRONG. This may be unravelling quickly behind the scenes. Huggins, Gillespie, Tubby Smith, Beilin--all of these deals got done in hours, not weeks. There is no reason that GTOWN shouldn't have announced an extention by now. Let's find out why.

HOYA BLUE WHERE ARE YOU???

Hoya Saxa

[hilltopper2000]

I'm with Volta on this one. Every day that goes by makes me more pessimistic. What could possibly be taking so long? I don't want a negotiation here. JTIII should get a raise that makes him among the highest paid coaches in the Big East. I can't believe he is haggling for more. And if he want more--pay the man!

[hoyaLS05]

voltahoya said:

If JTIII leaves this summer or even after next season I do not want a single student to come on this board and complain about the administration's failure to keep him. Students have a power to pressure the administration in a way no group of alumni can and they are blowing it.

To a certain extent, I agree with you that students need to do something. A demonstration like that can only help, although I can't imagine how uncomfortable it would make Coach feel. On the other hand, I disagree that students have a power to pressure the administration in a way no alumni group can. Alumni with deep pockets will certainly influence Healy2 more than students in Red Square.

[YB]

hoyals05 said:

voltahoya said:

If JTIII leaves this summer or even after next season I do not want a single student to come on this board and complain about the administration's failure to keep him. Students have a power to pressure the administration in a way no group of alumni can and they are blowing it.

To a certain extent, I agree with you that students need to do something. A demonstration like that can only help, although I can't imagine how uncomfortable it would make Coach feel. On the other hand, I disagree that students have a power to pressure the administration in a way no alumni group can. Alumni with deep pockets will certainly influence Healy2 more than students in Red Square.

Maybe, but maybe not. You are never without influence; remember, you guys are the future donors!

Do what you feel is right. If you want ot say something, say it. If not no worries.

[brookbarringer]

voltahoya said:

What I want to know is what are the students going to do THIS WEEK--now that they are back from Easter break--to send a signal to the administration that they must get JTIII signed to a long term contract extension.

I imagine drink and watch TV....

[hoyaLS05]

hilltopper2000 said:

I'm with Volta on this one. Every day that goes by makes me more pessimistic. What could possibly be taking so long? I don't want a negotiation here. JTIII should get a raise that makes him among the highest paid coaches in the Big East. I can't believe he is haggling for more. And if he want more--pay the man!

DeGioia said he and Coach were meeting last Tuesday. School was closed Thursday-Monday. Essentially, there have been three days for negotiating (including today), assuming they, like the rest of the university, breaked for Easter.

In addition to agreeing on a deal, which I don't necessarily think can be done in 3 days, Georgetown must find the money (we will never have paid a university employee close to as much as we'll have to pay III), and based on the way the school usually operates, I'd imagine several people need to be involved in all of this.

What's more, also judging on Georgetown's usual practices, it is not standard GU procedure to post some nice story on GUHoyas.com saying we've agreed to an extension. At the UK news conference, they said Gillespie was getting 2.3 million a year. Can you imagine Georgetown being so open about something like that? I can't.

When something gets done, it'll come out. But it isn't going to be in some grand announcement, and it may not be right away. My prediction is Barker breaks the story using "sources close to Thompson." Not DeGioia, Sports Information, or a university spokesman.

I could certainly be wrong about any and all of this, but I think we should give them a bit longer before wondering "what could possibly be taking so long."

[vcjack]

I know that JTIII was extremely offended when students talked about the coaching issue at the Thank You rally. He would not appreciate any sort of "Keep JTIII" rally or demonstration and wouldn't make him less likely to leave. As for the pressure on the administration, if I was them I wouldn't give a rat's ass what students think.

[voltahoya]

Just to be clear, I think alums have some power to influence the administration. Some much more than others, and most, much more than me.

But what I mean by saying students have an power to pressure the administration in a way no alum can is this:

1. Students are there, they have access.
2. Students are concentrated and have better communication. Me and my 5-10 DC area friends who care about Hoya basketball would be a pretty pathetic protest. I can't get 100 people to do anything--Students can.
3. Students have more time. We alumni with 60 hour a week jobs and infants at home can't so much hold a sit in or organize a petition.
4. Students have a certain moral authority on what is best for the campus community.
5. Students speak on behalf of the past, present, and future of the school. You are the present, you will be the future alumni and we were all you once. In fact, the only thing that ties alumni to the school is that we were once you.

I am not letting alumni off the hook, I am just saying that the power of the students is unique and it appears to be totally nonexistant on the issue of signing JTIII to an extention.

[voltahoya]

As for this argument that III would be offended if people stepped up to tell the school how much he means to them. First of all I reject that, who wouldn't be flattered by such a movement. Second of all in an odd way this is not all about III. This is about the Administration getting its most important decision in a long long time right for once. This is about DeGioia getting the message. Maybe a protest is premature, but how about a letter writing campaing or a petition? Maybe just a "Thank You" card to III signed by every student that subtly conveys the message to DeGioia that he matters to the students and that no one will take his leaving lying down.

You do not have to protest with a big dollar sign placard--be creative.

[The Stig]

This is just me speaking personally, not on behalf of Hoya Blue.

First off, there hasn't been a Hoya Blue meeting since the Tourney, so I think it's a bit too soon to rip on Hoya Blue and the students.

I don't think the students have much authority on this one at all. This is all about money, and students never seem to have too much of that. In terms of 'moral authority', look at how much other student protests for on-campus issues have achieved. I'm sure there are some that have worked, but off the top of my head I can't think of any.

The fact that rallies and such almost inevitably fail underlines the problem that they're just talk. Hoya Blue generally sticks to doing things instead of talking about them. If there's a situation where we can't reasonably do anything (and to my eyes, this is one of those situations), then Hoya Blue generally stays out. We believe in substance over noise.

I think the most important issue though is the one that vcjack mentioned. JTIII doesn't want us doing anything. He wants this done behind closed doors, not in public rallies. If anything a rally at this juncture would just p*ss him off, which wouldn't help the negotiations at all. He's a very private man, and talking about things like his salary in public banners and rallies wouldn't go over too well with him.

So I think the best thing to do right now is to sit back and let things work themselves out between the administration, JTIII, and the alumni who would pay for this.

If the news leaks that negotiations have broken down, then I think you'd see the students make some noise.

[voltahoya]

COME ON!!!

If III really wanted this handled in "private" and "behind closed doors", do you REALLY think Pops would be on his radio show ranting about how underpaid he is all the time?

The Father of Hoya Paranoia goes on the radio and rants about how underpaid his son is, and you think that makes JTIII LESS likely to stay at Georgetown?

Stop making excuses for yourselves--or at least come up with some that make sense.

[voltahoya]

Stig, one other thing. Your post is exactly what I was afraid of. The attitude on campus seems to be that the students will wait until something goes wrong and THEN "make some noise."

Make sure that when III is cleaning out his office he can hear your protest all the way from Healey Circle. Oh, and don't forget to send him a card letting him know how much we miss him when he is at the Charlotte Bobcat's press conference being introduced as their new coach--he will really appreciate those sentiments.

THIS IS NOT A SITUATION WHERE YOU CAN WAIT UNTIL IT GOES BAD.

IF IT GOES BAD IT IS TOO LATE.

[vcjack]

Calm down. Christ, do you want us to call up those Galludet students and ask what would be the best way to baricade ourselves inside the ICC?

If there is something that can be done lets do it but lets not delude ourselves about the student's power.

Note: No puns intended

[YB]

go easy on em volta. their hearts are arways in the right place, and HB always does a superb job. If something is needed, Im sure HB will be right there.

[hilltopper2000]

I think what Volta is responding to is the idea that HB or anyone will know anything until it is too late. One of the things that made the Esherick uprising easy was that it was known to an almost metaphysical certainty that DeGioia was not about to fire Esh. He even said so after pressure began to mount through the petition and signs around campus. But what really unleashed the fury of alumni were DeGioia's public statements about keeping Esh. Esh's subsequent statement further upped the pressure. There is no way to know exactly what happened there (e.g., a major donor stepping in), but I can't believe the popular uprising had no effect.

In this situation, there is no way to know what is going on. It would be great if Barker could tip us off so we could know what needs to be done.

If DeGioia announces tomorrow a $1.2 million contract and a plan for a new facility, I will be the first to say that no more petitions or protests will ever be necessary so long as he and Muir are on the scene, but he hasn't earned that trust yet.

[voltahoya]

Thanks YB, appreciate the perspective and I know you are right. I was something of an activist in my day and I can't quite understand how people are not chomping at the bit to make sure the most important decision being made on campus comes out the right way.

Maybe a student could calm me down by telling me a story about how they stopped DeGioia in Red Square and he said something reassuring. Anyone got a story like that? Bueller?

OK, I will settle for a story about a beer pong game, anything. Just someone distract me from the deafening silence coming out of DeGioia's office.

[SFHoya99]

What has the admin done to ensure any trust?

[hoyaLS05]

voltahoya said:

COME ON!!!

If III really wanted this handled in "private" and "behind closed doors", do you REALLY think Pops would be on his radio show ranting about how underpaid he is all the time?

The Father of Hoya Paranoia goes on the radio and rants about how underpaid his son is, and you think that makes JTIII LESS likely to stay at Georgetown?

Stop making excuses for yourselves--or at least come up with some that make sense.

I would not necessarily assume that everything 2 does represents 3's wishes. I'm pretty sure JT3 was appalled by some of the things his dad said at the banquet. The sentiment may be there, but that doesn't mean JT3 wants it dragged out in public.

I can't really post the rest of why I don't think III wants this public. PM me if its that unbelievable.